When many novices just start exercising, they always like to train the frontal muscles such as chest muscles and arms, because this can show their body more intuitively, and they will feel stronger when they look in the mirror after training.
But they always ignore the back muscles, find the movement too difficult, and have lower back soreness after the workout.
However, the back muscles cover the scapula and the entire spine, which directly affects the effect of personal posture and muscle shape, so a back training plan is essential.
A good critique is:
The posture of the inverted triangle makes the whole person look strong and powerful, and the back is wide and the waist is thin.
The middle back line is obvious, the back is thick, people naturally appear stronger.
The erector spinae on the lower back is prominent, the back groove is deep, and it is very sexy.
Practicing the back muscles has a very obvious benefit: correcting posture, preventing upper cross syndrome, and making you stand straighter.
How to Train Your Back Efficiently for Novices
The training movements of the back are mainly divided into pull-downs and rowing, both of which are compound movements, which are completed by the joint participation of the back muscles, the rear deltoid, and the biceps.
Classic pull-down movements: pull-ups and high pull-downs use the teres major and latissimus dorsi to stimulate the muscles by adducting the shoulder joint.
Classic rowing movements: bent over barbell rowing, dumbbell one-arm rowing, use the teres major and latissimus dorsi to make the shoulder joint extend back to stimulate the muscles.
When newcomers practice back, they often cannot find the strength of the back muscles, and it is also difficult to stabilize the body. At the same time, there is a problem of insufficient flexibility of the body. If you directly do bent-over rowing or pull-up movements, it is difficult to ensure the quality of the movements, and it is easy to cause rotator cuff muscle group and joint damage.
Using fixed equipment such as power rack with lat pull down can control the body at a slower speed, make the movement more standard, and can quickly increase the load, which is helpful to improve the overall muscle strength, muscle endurance and muscle circumference.
Wide grip rope pulldown:
1. Sit well before the power rack with a lat pull down and use a wide grip. Adjust the knee pad to the proper position. Knee pads prevent the body from rising due to resistance.
2. Hold the handle with the palm facing forward. Note when grasping: the distance between the hands is more than shoulder width when holding a wide grip; the distance between hands is shoulder width when holding a middle grip. In a narrow grip, the distance between the hands is less than shoulder width.
3. Hold the handle in front of you, straighten your arms, lean your body and head back about 30 degrees, bend your lower back, and keep your chest out. This is where the action starts.
4. As you exhale, pull your shoulders and upper arms back and down, pulling the handle down until it touches your upper chest. Tip: Concentrate on contracting your back muscles when fully tightened. The upper body should remain stationary during the movement, with only the arms moving. The forearm just grabs the lever, nothing else, don't pull the handle with the forearm.
5. Pause for a second in the tightened position, contract the shoulder blades, and slowly return the handle to the starting position, with the arms straight and the lats fully extended. Inhale during this part of the movement.
6. Repeat for the recommended number of repetitions.
5 sets x 12 reps
Seated cable rows
1. Sit on the rowing machine and place your feet on the platform or crossbar, making sure your knees are slightly bent and not locked.
2. Lean forward with the back and the V-handle in a natural parallel position.
Straighten your arms and pull back until your torso and legs are at 90 degrees. The back should be slightly arched and the chest lifted.
3. You should feel a good stretch in the latissimus dorsi as you grip the front handle. This is where the action starts.
4. Keeping the torso stationary, pull the handle toward the body and clamp the arm until it touches the abdomen. Exhale while doing this movement. At this point, you should feel your back muscles contract very tightly. Hold this contraction for a second, slowly return to the starting position and inhale.
5. Repeat for the recommended number of repetitions.
4 sets x 12 reps
Tips: The body should avoid shaking back and forth, otherwise it will cause lower back damage.
Variation: You can replace the V-shaped handle with a straight handle, with a positive grip (palms down) or a reverse grip (palms up)
Due to the weak overall basic strength of the newcomers, even if the fixed equipment was used in the front, the strength of the lower limbs still needs to be strengthened.
In back training, many bending movements require fixed hip and knee flexion postures. If you directly use heavy weight barbell training, it is easy to cause problems such as bowing your back, bending over, getting up and using force, and poor stability.
At this time, dumbbells should be selected for training, starting with light weights and gradually increasing the weight used, so that there is a transition effect.
Incline Dumbbell Row:
1. Lie down on a weightlifting bench adjusted to a 45-degree incline, holding a dumbbell in each hand. This is where the action starts.
2. Then contract the shoulder blades, bend the elbows, and pull the dumbbells to the sides of the body, keeping the arms close to the body during the process.
3. Pause at the top for a while, then slowly return to the starting position.
4. The above is a complete action, repeat the action to the recommended number of times.
3 sets x 12 reps
Bent over dumbbell row
1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, knees slightly bent, upper body forward, hips back, bend over and make sure your back is straight so that your upper body is almost parallel to the floor. With your arms hanging down naturally, palms facing each other, look up and look straight ahead. This is where the action starts.
2. Contract the shoulder blades, press the elbows against the body, and quickly lift the dumbbells to the sides of the body while exhaling. Keep your back muscles tight at the top and hold for 1 second.
3. Then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position while inhaling.
4. The above is a complete action, repeat the action to the recommended number of times.
Tips:
1. Friends with back problems, please do not do this action, you can use low pulley rowing instead.
2. Ensure the standard of movement, and ensure that the back is straight throughout the whole process, otherwise it will cause back injury.
3. Pay attention to the weight of the dumbbells you use.
3 sets x 12 reps
When the previous fixed equipment movements and dumbbell movements are very proficient, as the weight used gradually increases, it can be found that the strength of the back increases and the back muscles become thicker. At this time, you can continue to use barbells for training.
The biggest advantage of barbells is that you can continue to increase the weight, not only to exercise the back muscles, but also to enhance the muscle strength of the whole body, especially the arms, shoulders and core muscles, and the explosive power will be higher. stronger.
Bent over barbell row
1. Hold the barbell in both hands, bend your knees slightly, and bend your upper body forward until it is almost parallel to the floor, while keeping your back straight. Hang your arms down naturally and look straight ahead. This is where the action starts.
2. Contract the back muscles and lift the bar in a rowing motion while exhaling. Note that the elbows are close to the sides of the body.
3. Pause briefly at the top, then slowly return to the starting position while breathing in.
4. The above is a complete action, repeat the action to the recommended number of times.
Note: Do not do this exercise if you have back problems, you can use a seated rope row instead. If you're not sure how much you should use, choose a lighter weight first. Also keep your back straight.
Variation: You can also do this with an underhand grip.
3 sets x 12 reps
Deadlift
1. Have a power rack ready and place the barbell on it. The appropriate height for the barbell bolt is: slightly lower than the knee position, or in the middle of the thigh. Stand in the right position and get into a position ready to deadlift. Your feet should be in line with your hips, your grip should be shoulder-width apart, and your back should be arched. Lean your hips back and engage your hamstrings. Often, due to the weight of the barbell, you can use a fore and aft grip, lock grip, or grip straps to help you get a better grip on the bar.
2. Looking straight ahead, hips and knees straight, pull the bar up and back, making sure to pull your shoulders back at the end of the movement.
3. Return the bar to the bar and repeat.
3 sets x 12 reps
The Bottom Line
To train the back muscles, newcomers need to start with stationary equipment, then use dumbbells, and finally use barbells.
Don't rush to practice all the equipment, let alone all the movements you know, it will take longer, the training volume will be too high, and there will be basically no effect after training.
Personally suggest that you can use the alternate training mode, training 3 times a week, all using small weights, so that the movements will be more proficient, and after a period of persistence, gradually increase the weight, so it is easier to get started.
